A 26-year-old man died in a single-vehicle accident when a northbound Lincoln Continental left I-295 and struck a sign pole just before the University of North Florida/St. Johns Town Center exit Monday morning in Jacksonville.

Severe backup on I-295 at JTB northbound due to fatal accident. Photo by bruce.lipsky@jacksonville.com

A 26-year-old Jacksonville man was killed Monday morning when his car slid off Interstate 295 south of Town Center Parkway and crashed, sending half of the vehicle into a retention pond, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Emmanuel Reyes-Connor was heading north on the interstate near Butler Boulevard when he tried to make a lane change at 6:15 a.m., the Highway Patrol said. He lost control and skidded across all the lanes and hit a utility pole, splitting the Lincoln Continental in half.

Reyes-Connor was not wearing a seat belt and was found dead in the front part of the vehicle, the Highway Patrol said. The back half slid into a nearby retention pond, where Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office dive team confirmed no one was trapped inside.